Is Central Chiangmai Airport moribund?

[Captain Monday]

Lunchtime  Lanna food hall and Bangkok Bank have custom. Topps, sparse. Cafe within unmanned. One has to search for someone to make any coffee drinks soft drinks self service to check out counter.  Cinema and Food park died years ago. A dated architecture design resembling early 1990s trends

With economic malaise continuing perhaps 3 major malls cannot be sustained?

 

Edited July 23 by Captain Monday

[novacova]

4 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

Lunchtime  Lanna food hall and Bangkok Bank have custom. Topps, sparse. Cafe within unmanned. One has to search for someone to make any coffee drinks soft drinks self service to check out counter.  Cinema and Food park died years ago. A dated architecture design resembling early 1990s trends

With economic malaise continuing perhaps 3 major malls cannot be sustained?

 

FYI: There’s an option of not patronizing an establishment and not obligating oneself.

[Lacessit]

Perhaps it's a sign of how people are more cash-strapped nowadays.

 

Promenada is bust, maybe Airport is the next to go.

 

I've never understood how Kad Suan Kaew keeps going, to me it's a sh!thole with very ordinary food.

[novacova]

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

maybe Airport is the next to go.

Airport central isn’t going anywhere. Too many hotels, chinese and local neighbors from hangdong and the city. The place is always busy, unlike ksk and promenada that were not ever very busy and killed by the covid craze.

[Captain Monday]

Last time I was leaving, on my way out I saw a spot where it appears the Aquarium was and had been removed. Maybe it is another entrance? The place is never busy when I go there about once every two months. 

[freedomnow]

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Perhaps it's a sign of how people are more cash-strapped nowadays.

 

Promenada is bust, maybe Airport is the next to go.

 

I've never understood how Kad Suan Kaew keeps going, to me it's a sh!thole with very ordinary food.

I thought kad had closed..?

I've not been back to Chiang Mai for a while.

[Captain Monday]

11 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

I thought kad had closed..?

I've not been back to Chiang Mai for a while.

Closed definitely My bank branch there got moved. I’d like to see it re-developed as a Grande public park and open space.  

 

Imagine the cost just to demolish this eyesore or the plaza across Huay Kaew that has been has been a ghost-city for years is a major deterrent.  

 

Edited July 23 by Captain Monday

[Sydebolle]

I had some banking business with a commercial bank inside Central Udon Thani and arrived around noon and parked my car on the fourth floor, where all the restaurants are.

Of ten restaurants, two only had four and seventeen diners; all the others were completely empty if discounting the staff on their focussing on LINE, Facebook, TikTok etc. A floor down the shops had all one thing in common, no strollers - forget about buying customers. The sports shops on third floor had one staff (after looking for one) nicely hidden behind a pile of uncleared shoe boxes.

My assumption is, that they did not generate enough cash throughout the day to pay for the air-condition electricity. The food hall and Tops supermarket were busier; 25% of the tables were taken and a few browsed through the offerings of Tops. 

This happened Wednesday, 17 July; quite simply no cash in the system any longer ........ 

[newbee2022]

On 7/23/2024 at 10:36 PM, Lacessit said:

Perhaps it's a sign of how people are more cash-strapped nowadays.

 

Promenada is bust, maybe Airport is the next to go.

 

I've never understood how Kad Suan Kaew keeps going, to me it's a sh!thole with very ordinary food.

KSK is closed long time ago already.

[novacova]

On 7/23/2024 at 11:49 PM, Captain Monday said:

Last time I was leaving, on my way out I saw a spot where it appears the Aquarium was and had been removed. Maybe it is another entrance? The place is never busy when I go there about once every two months. 

Word has it that airport central will begin renovations come January.

[Wrwest]

Observations vary according to time, day of the week. I do not know if money is being spent in our Chiang Mai malls but my observation is my closest mall, Central Festival. I do not observe any problem with shopper traffic. Of course, I do know the big malls are not a reflection of the average Thai citizen finances.

[Bill97]

1 hour ago, novacova said:

Word has it that airport central will begin renovations come January.

Who’s word?

[scorecard]

On 7/23/2024 at 10:36 PM, Lacessit said:

Perhaps it's a sign of how people are more cash-strapped nowadays.

 

Promenada is bust, maybe Airport is the next to go.

 

I've never understood how Kad Suan Kaew keeps going, to me it's a sh!thole with very ordinary food.

 

Keep in mind that in many countries online shopping has made a big dent into 'personal visits' to shopping centres.  I recall few week ago a conversation with a farang friend who is senrior xec. of one of the biggest shopping empires in Thailand.

 

He shared that several shopping centre operators are considering to reduce the floor area of their supermarkets and convert them to small private boutique shops. Why? Because the foot traffic in their supermarkets has reduced markedly, overtaken by online grocery shopping.

 

I prefer to walk around the whole supermarket area to check what's new etc., and do my grocery shopping but several other adult members of my family now buy most of their groceries online and with fast delivery and very very reasonable delivery fees.  

 

 

[scorecard]

Just now, scorecard said:

 

Keep in mind that in many countries online shopping has made a big dent into 'personal visits' to shopping centres.  I recall few week ago a conversation with a farang friend who is senior exec. of one of the biggest shopping empires in Thailand.

 

He shared that several shopping centre operators are considering to seriously reduce the floor area of their supermarkets and convert that space to em to small private boutique shops.

 

Why? Because the foot traffic in their supermarkets has reduced markedly, overtaken by online grocery shopping.

 

I prefer to walk around the whole supermarket area to check what's new etc., and do my grocery shopping, but several other adult members of my family now buy most of their groceries online and with fast delivery and very very reasonable delivery fees.  

 

 

Promenada went bust / closed several years. I'm guessing many CM residents are wondering whether Promenada will ever reopen and what will it look like? That's of course making an assumption that it will not look anything like it did in its last several years of operation.

 

Last I heard there were several legal issues not yet resolved.

 

Any clues?

[Bill97]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

Any clues

Word is they can’t agree on what color to paint it.

[Dazinoz]

On 7/23/2024 at 6:04 PM, Captain Monday said:

Lunchtime  Lanna food hall and Bangkok Bank have custom. Topps, sparse. Cafe within unmanned. One has to search for someone to make any coffee drinks soft drinks self service to check out counter.  Cinema and Food park died years ago. A dated architecture design resembling early 1990s trends

With economic malaise continuing perhaps 3 major malls cannot be sustained?

 

Just came from there, reasonably busy all floors as I did a walk around each floor.

 

[bkk6060]

I went twice a few weeks ago the place was crowded.  Could not find a seat downstairs food court.  Upstairs food area had sufficient customers.

Lots of people walking around.  The place will not close from my observation.

Maya  and the other Central also seem to be doing well.  

I would say 3 malls is about right.  I do miss Promenade really enjoyed the movies there since no one else was around. 🙂

[BobBKK]

6 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

KSK is closed long time ago already.

 
But not the food court and the supermarket? Isn't that still open?

[BobBKK]

I must say Festival is by FAR the best shopping Mall in CM - plentiful parking, etc.  Airport Plaza looks and feels like an old Aunty doddering on to her death. 

[TheAppletons]

1 hour ago, BobBKK said:

 
But not the food court and the supermarket? Isn't that still open?

 

  Oh no.  Place is completely deserted, looks like the set of a zombie movie.

[scorecard]

22 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I went twice a few weeks ago the place was crowded.  Could not find a seat downstairs food court.  Upstairs food area had sufficient customers.

Lots of people walking around.  The place will not close from my observation.

Maya  and the other Central also seem to be doing well.  

I would say 3 malls is about right.  I do miss Promenade really enjoyed the movies there since no one else was around. 🙂

I / family enjoyed Promenada because it's less than 10 minutes easy drive to home and really liked shopping at Rimping. 

[StevieAus]

3 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

Keep in mind that in many countries online shopping has made a big dent into 'personal visits' to shopping centres.  I recall few week ago a conversation with a farang friend who is senrior xec. of one of the biggest shopping empires in Thailand.

 

He shared that several shopping centre operators are considering to reduce the floor area of their supermarkets and convert them to small private boutique shops. Why? Because the foot traffic in their supermarkets has reduced markedly, overtaken by online grocery shopping.

 

I prefer to walk around the whole supermarket area to check what's new etc., and do my grocery shopping but several other adult members of my family now buy most of their groceries online and with fast delivery and very very reasonable delivery fees.  

 

 

I think you are pretty spot on with the online shopping it is certainly convenient and you can locate what you want without searching through the shops and the delivery fee here is very small.

I will not  buy clothes online but my wife does for herself and our daughter.

[newbee2022]

2 hours ago, BobBKK said:

 
But not the food court and the supermarket? Isn't that still open?

No

[BobBKK]

2 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

No

 Oh, it certainly was for a period after they shut the main bit - thanks for the update. 

[BobBKK]

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

I / family enjoyed Promenada because it's less than 10 minutes easy drive to home and really liked shopping at Rimping. 

I also loved Promenada - such a shame and a waste. Surely they can't leave it rotting there forever?  The problem was it was always pretty empty - I blame the two building design.

[novacova]

5 hours ago, Bill97 said:

Who’s word?

Wife’s word, who happens to know a few people that work there.

[BobBKK]

2 hours ago, TheAppletons said:

 

  Oh no.  Place is completely deserted, looks like the set of a zombie movie.

 
Right - I barely go to that area anymore - but I grew fond of KSK. It was liked a well-loved old eccentric Aunty - thank you

[BobBKK]

4 hours ago, scorecard said:

Promenada went bust / closed several years. I'm guessing many CM residents are wondering whether Promenada will ever reopen and what will it look like? That's of course making an assumption that it will not look anything like it did in its last several years of operation.

 

Last I heard there were several legal issues not yet resolved.

 

Any clues?

 It could not pay the electric bill. I was there the last day when it closed. I walked in, and it looked pretty dark. The staff said there was a short power cut. It turned out the power cut was permanent, and I was asked to leave.

The staff that last day had NO IDEA at all that it would be shut down that morning - terrible for them.

[novacova]

1 minute ago, BobBKK said:

 
Right - I barely go to that area anymore - but I grew fond of KSK. It was liked a well-loved old eccentric Aunty - thank you

Were one of the same 3 or 4 petrified loners I used to see on the ground floor setting in the same spot?

[BobBKK]

5 minutes ago, novacova said:

Were one of the same 3 or 4 petrified loners I used to see on the ground floor setting in the same spot?

 
I used to live Nimman and go there for foot massages - they have moved to Tesco Lotus now.